Your overall opinion of TwilightFest?

gabrielflorit said:
Storytelling is the hardest skill to perfect, in my opinion. Lighting, framing/composition, sound recording/mixing, etc., are all relatively easy to learn. But coming up with a good story is impossibly hard.
Click to expand...

Yes. Coming up with a good story AND telling the story.

I'm always happy to see that good stories win out in contests, not necessarily those with the best lighting,effects...etc.

However there are those punks (Cold Calls) that manage to have it all. :)
 
It was my first fest and I learned some much stuff. I've got the first one done and out of the way, now it's time to make a really good film. The feedback has been great, most of it I agreed with and I knew it was coming. No matter how many books you read, making a good film is not as easy as some people make it out to be.

This site rocks!
 
I've not read through everyone else's thoughts on this, so I'll just offer my own straight up:

I think this was one of the weaker fests, with regards to quality of work and/or sticking with the theme. One of the main reasons I'm voicing this is that (and I did see this mentioned on the 1st page) was that many of the entries completely missed the park with regards to the Twilight Zone feel, and just went all out thriller/horror.

The Twilight Zone, as I remember it, was usually more subtle, and VERY often would make you think afterwards of what you'd do in the same situation, etc. Very few films in this fest matched up with a true Twilight Zone theme/feel to them.

DramaFest was, I think, one of the strongest fests with regards to professional quality, and really good stories. I also dug SpyFest quite a bit. Love fest was good as well, but I was so up to my neck in post production of BERLIN that I missed most of that one altogether.

I really wished I had secured the location for LAST TOUCH, my Twilight Fest entry, but couldn't get the ICU at the hospital secured in time. Got it now, and will be shooting this Sunday, the 23rd. I'll be sure to comment on as many films as I can, prior to then, so I can hopefully get feedback on ours, once it's completed, come end of December.

All of the above said about this fest, however, isn't to be taken too negatively ... because the bottom line is that they are to encourage filmmakers to get out there & get something done. And a LOT of people achieved just that, and to even make a film in the first place is no small thing, and shouldn't be overlooked. But for the returning filmmakers, we need to always challenge ourselves to continually place the bar higher & higher, ideally setting out to do the impossible, only to make it possible.
 
Timefest was slam dunk the most professional, this one seems a dip down, but still an improvement over Lovefest. Frankly, I don't think the theme of 'twilight' is conducive, I'm hoping for something better next time.
 
I'm new, so I can't compare other fests. This one is great though. Seems really organized. The films are fun to watch. I think I happened on a really cool site here.
 
Oh yes, don't get me wrong ... each fest gets more & more organized, better technically, the whole nine yards. HUGE props to the Mods!
 
I've been around since the horror fest. and I was really excited to see so many entries. I do agree that there are always a few that rise to the top and they usually have well told and constructed stories. I think it's wonderful to see filmmakers continue to grow and get better and better, because if you hang around here long enough, you can learn a thing or two. I know I have. Can't wait until the next fest is announced and hopefully I'll have time to do it again.
 
Norm Sanders said:
The Twilight Zone, as I remember it, was usually more subtle, and VERY often would make you think afterwards of what you'd do in the same situation, etc. Very few films in this fest matched up with a true Twilight Zone theme/feel to them.
Click to expand...


Couldn't agree more, and so many great episodes come to mind. I think I saw maybe 10 DVX entries at most that either hit or dang near hit the mark. Not that one was to copy verbatim the shows of old, but at least pay a clear homage to the technical, story, and cinematic merits.

And, seeing how I have already beaten the living crap out of a very dead horse to no avail, I'll give it one more thump just for laughs ...

Much of the subtleties you speak of were in the language, and a clever use of double intender that balanced well with the odd unfoldings. Sadly, ever since English became an international business language, it has been wholly stripped of its rhythm and eloquence. Add text-ese to the mix, and you have yourself a mere skelton of what English once was.

Fact is, I like to watch old Twilight Zone and Night Gallery episodes just for a stroll down memory lane. But, all things must pass, as they say. Lol.

The 'make you think' element of the old episodes was most certainly overlooked. Many of the DVX films had too clean a wrap up, leaving little if anything for the viewer to chew on afterwards. I would argue "Calls From The Fuhrerbunker" not only nailed the theme, but also the lighting, the music, the angles, the pace, the language, and most importantly, the unfinished ending that lets the viewer take over where the film leaves off.

That's an important element of good film. Viewer participation.

It's like the diference between wine and beer. Good wine stays on your palette. Beer runs through. There is a time and place for both.


There were some very well-made films in this fest, and the growth of many of the filmmakers is apparent. That counts more than theme adhereance in my opinion. Still, with the talent here at DVX, I think the fest could have been better. It was a tough theme to tackle.

Comments ...

I think viewer comments were somewhat off the mark as well. While some were well thought out and thorough, others were just a few words that gave no indication the film was even viewed. 'Dig the ending' could be applied generically to 100% of the entries. 'Wow', 'Cool', and 'Hmmm', also gave diddly squat to the filmmaker to use for growth. Sorry, but that's just lazy.

I would also argue many viewers came with Zombies and gore and big gnashing teeth in mind, and when they didn't see it, they gave a cursory comment and moved on.

And lastly concerning comments, I saw a few filmmakers who recieved a number of glowing comments, and a few less-tthan-glowing comments, and they would only respond to the glowing and dismiss the rest. That stinks. Whether a filmmaker agrees with a comment or not, deliberatly passing it over to respond to favorable comments both before and after the critical comment is a bit of slap in the face of the viewer. None of the comments I saw were malicious or carried any kind of 'revenge' tone to them. They were honest opinions, and those filmmakers who ignored them didn't do themselves or the fest as a whole any favors. It's possible the viewer completely missed the point, or a subtle meaning, and a response could have cleared that up.

For those of you who really took the time to comment on all or as many as films as you could, thank you. I learned a lot reading those comments, and realized things I didn't catch first veiwing, and went back to watch a few particular films based on viewer comments.

Okay, you can chop my head off now.


In all, I think this was one of the more challenging themes, and as said there were some really great films, many of which are still clear in my mind. Other films had some memorable scenes.

IMHO - "Barn Dance" had the most cinematically beautiful, and heartstring-plucking ending. Spectacular imagrey in "Innocence", and "A Work of Art" had a great and creative twist of events. "Mary's Travel Brochure" had a powerful impact with the required element. "Cold Calls", "Anti De Presence" and "Twisted" had the best quirky payoffs. The 'IMHO' list goes on.

All that said, I have a feeling we are going to see some sustatial growth in a number of the filmmakers here just from taking on such a challenge as Twilight Zone, and the comments given on what worked and what didn't.

I see twilight as a success for many reasons, but mostly as a major stepping stone to grasping the true art of film making. Other fests such as Love Fest, while good, were a little saccharin compared to this.

Congrats to all the filmmakers who made it into the fest. And congrats to the top 7 (8?).
 
Last edited:
I wonder about comments... I tried to stick to a formula: tell people some of the things I liked and disliked - I figured everyone can use a little encouragement. However, recently I changed my mind: I think it's better for filmmakers if you tell them everything you didn't like. I did that with The Borders Of Elysium, and got a big thanks. I'll do that from now on.

Of course, the problem is that some filmmakers get defensive about their film and start explaining it away, "no you don't get it, it ended like this because blah de blah". What a stupid reaction. A film should stand on its own, it doesn't need explanations.
 
Agree a film should stand on its own - but as fledging filmmakers that doesn't always happen, for any number or reasons, and we need to know why.

Some filmmakers came to the defence of missed meanings, subtle inuendos, pet scenes, etc, and some viewers seemed grateful these things were pointed out, and then went on to explain why they missed the point in the first place. That's golden repartee.

COMMENTER
I don't get it.

FILMMAKER
Well, what I was trying to do is this.

COMMENTER
Ah! Well in that case, here is why it didn't work, in my opinion.

Like that!!

Either way, both filmmaker and commenter should welcome an exchange of thoughts and ideas. How those comments and ideas manifest in the next round is up to each.

67 films is a lot to view and comment on. I know some of us dedicated entire weekends to doing just that, while our kids ran around unclothed and unfed.

God help us if this gets to 100 entries!!

a
 
I spent about an hour or so late at night watching batches of films. Took notes and posted comments when I could. Then repeat...

I don't expect everyone to be able to do that though.

Mike
 
Michael Anthony Horrigan said:
I spent about an hour or so late at night watching batches of films. Took notes and posted comments when I could. Then repeat...

I don't expect everyone to be able to do that though.

Mike
Click to expand...

I still need to comment on your short Mike....

As I said early on, I was ONLY going to comment on a select number of films... since as most have stated it's nearly impossible to comment on all... I still have a few left to comment on that were "selected" but haven't had the time.
 
I set out with the intent to watch them all within the first round of voting, but it just got overwhelming. Plus the fact that my computer was built in 1906, and it takes thirty minutes to download a six-minute film. Kinda kills the momentum.

I'll make every effort to keep watching and commenting.
 
alex whitmer said:
Comments ...

I think viewer comments were somewhat off the mark as well. While some were well thought out and thorough, others were just a few words that gave no indication the film was even viewed. 'Dig the ending' could be applied generically to 100% of the entries. 'Wow', 'Cool', and 'Hmmm', also gave diddly squat to the filmmaker to use for growth. Sorry, but that's just lazy.
Click to expand...

I couldn't disagree more. Remember, we all worked hard on our shorts. I'm sure the people who got a "wow" and "dug your ending" were much happier than those who saw their threads drift into oblivion, which tells a filmmaker "i didn't even care enough about your film to comment". It's easy to criticize and calling someone lazy is inappropriate, considering 1 word comment can mean two things. A. They watched your film, and B. They liked it. You're right, it's not in-depth constructive criticism, but it IS participation and a larger voting pool. I highly doubt people are commenting on films that they didn't even watch.

alex whitmer said:
And lastly concerning comments, I saw a few filmmakers who recieved a number of glowing comments, and a few less-tthan-glowing comments, and they would only respond to the glowing and dismiss the rest. That stinks. Whether a filmmaker agrees with a comment or not, deliberatly passing it over to respond to favorable comments both before and after the critical comment is a bit of slap in the face of the viewer. None of the comments I saw were malicious or carried any kind of 'revenge' tone to them. They were honest opinions, and those filmmakers who ignored them didn't do themselves or the fest as a whole any favors. It's possible the viewer completely missed the point, or a subtle meaning, and a response could have cleared that up.
Click to expand...

Welcome to DVXuser Fest politicking. There are two things that happen every fest. There's a huge lovefest after the films are released (this is not the same thing i referenced above, there's a difference between liking a film and leaving a one word comment and leaving a gushing comment or using words like "perfect" for a film that has some obvious flaws) and then there's what you reference above. I haven't seen much of it this fest, but has definitely been absurd conversations in the past about some very mundane details of the films. It does bring a lot of posts to a thread, but it also breeds negativity as the filmmaker becomes more and defensive (see the eyelashes conversation in the Aetas thread, Shawn had to beg for some comments on actor's performance). Sometimes, (not always) it's better to ignore some of these comments and just move on. Other times, it's merely a difference of opinion, an argument in which no one wins. And lastly, there's times where a filmmaker takes the time to write out a giant explanatory response to a comment, and ask for more specificity in the criticism, and the original commenter never comes back to re-comment. So, in a perfect world, yes, a commenter would leave a criticism, a director would clarify, and then everyone would live happily ever after. As a community, we should encourage active participation and criticism, but that's just not feasible for some people (hell, i haven't even found the time to copy edit some of the AIM sessions...) people will do what they can when they can.


alex whitmer said:
Okay, you can chop my head off now.
Click to expand...

With pleasure. There's a lot of reasons why people do things around here. Some may just want constructive criticism, some may kiss as much ass as possible to bump their film up a couple spots, some may just want people to see their films. And that's just a guess from me ... I could be completely wrong.


That being said ... you must excuse me, i have to go post some BTS pictures so that it bumps my thread back to the top. :)
 
Last edited:
Chris Messineo said:
I offered my overall opinion on the last fest and got my head chopped off, so I'm going to pass. :)
Click to expand...


Lmao

My sentiments exactly. :beer: :)

-

I think the majority of the films are really really bad. No concept of camera composition, framing, sound, editing, visual storytelling, acting ....

But hey, we're all learning, right ?

There's always a handful of nice films and one or two that are really on the bubble of being much more, but the rest are, how do you say ? Meh ?
 
Ben Sliker said:
With pleasure:)
Click to expand...


Maybe Chris Messineo has the best idea. :thumbup: Next fest I'll take it to heart.


Stick your neck out and for sure someone will take a whack at it. Agree with some of your take on things. I was just shooting from the 'perfect world' hip.

We are human after all.


a
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top